Thursday

Lecrae Talks About His Beginnings As A Emcee

Please tell our viewers a little bit about your background and what experiences inspired you to become an emcee?

I grew up your average kid in hip hop culture. Hip hop was the lens I saw the world through. They told me all the stories I thought I needed to hear and taught me about life. I took it as truth and tried to live it and emulate it. I found voices in the urban context who I could relate to so I aspired to be like them. My mom worked and I had a stepdad who worked so after school, so I would spend hours watching rap videos and listening to music.

Define Lacrae the emcee, is he any different from Lacrae Moore, family and business man?

No. Im one man. What you hear is a snapshot of my views on things in the music. You hear my views on family, God, music, love, pain, suffering. Integrity is being the same person when no one is looking as you are when everyone is looking. I’m not here to create an alter ego. I’m hear to give people authenticity on the mic.

You are truly blessed with the skills to create a concept of reliable topics that display your inspirational and deep thought provoking craft for telling a story, What’s your approach for writing, and how did your latest  project ‘Rehab: The Overdose’ evolve?

I was always blown away by guys like Nas and Tupac for their ability to connect with listeners through story or provoke emotion and reflection.  I think there should be more of that in Hip Hop. Not just conscious music but emotionally inspiring or challenging or reflectional. Everyone articulates their views on life on the mic. Some just arent as explicit. But when your song tells me you advocate selling crack cocaine, it also gives your implicit views on other things like the law, God, your community. So I just give more explicit views on those things. No dancing around it.

Let’s talk leadership,you accomplished a lot in music with out comprising who you are, your testimony lives up big name emcees that infuse materialistic subjects , what infrastructure is needed for kids growing in a impoverished environment to live a Christian lifestyle?

I believe male leaders who can be trusted and are responsible are a priority. The first thing we need is an example. Sacrificial, loving, authoritative, real men who want to be role models. Thats why we leap to follow the drug dealer or immature athlete we have no models. Women follow after sorry dudes and become sorry women, so there is a leadership problem, outside of that is a real Christian community, not churches with pastors who are raping the congregations, and sleeping with all the women,environments that foster, education, service, purpose, and the Gospel.

What is the definition of these words “Loyalty”, “Salvation”, and “Faith”, and what does it mean to you?

Loyalty means circumstance doesn’t dictate my allegiance. Salvation means rescue from imminent danger you can’t get yourself out of Faith means hoping in and treasuring a security that people think is irrational, but you know different.

Your sound resonates as deep kick drums and synthesized bass lines, catchy sing a long hooks with heart felt lyrics that serve the Lord, what has your albums contributed to hip hop?

Sonically I’m still learning and experimenting. However because mainstream hip hop is broken into so many cliques (east coast,underground, southern…etc.) I’m freer to blend them all and still be accepted because mainstream hip hop doesnt know where to place me. I like that. Hopefully more than anything I’ll expose that there are tons of people who are authentically Christian yet resonate with hip hop culture and that wont be an oxymoron.

Courtesy Of URBAN NEWS MEDIA

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